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Referee Tobias Stieler showing Borussia Moenchengladbach's Florian Neuhaus a yellow card during a Bundesliga match on Feb 3.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
LONDON – To say that the video assistant referee (VAR) has been a controversial addition to football would be putting it mildly. That’s not to say it hasn’t added drama.
Take, for example, the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final between Nigeria and South Africa on Feb 7. One minute, Victor Osimhen had the ball in the net, and Nigeria were leading 2-0, only for VAR to intervene, roll back the play and then award South Africa a 90th-minute penalty. That made the scoreline 1-1 and the drama of extra time and penalties ensued before the Super Eagles prevailed.
